a personal appeal

when you are beset by evil on all sides and things look their darkest, you can take whoever you want on your team but i'm sticking with mom.

she may not be handy with a stake, a silver bullet or a crossbow but, when the chips are down, if your mom is anything like mine, she will wade into the mouth of hell for you.

there's an important reason that i bring it up. if you keep up with things around here you may be familiar with the fact that my mom is a badass. her qualifications are many, but the one that is germane to our conversation today is that she is a breast cancer survivor. she's been to hell and back and faced some very real horrors of her own. she is as tough as they come, just one of the many reasons i admire her.

and, if you keep up with things around here, you've met my sister, haylee.

here she is at age eight after having just destroyed the competition with her bride of frankenstein costume (the hair is down, as this is post-carnival, but it was something to behold). we are a serious halloween family from way back.

haylee is participating, on behalf of our mom, in the susan g. komen race for the cure to benefit breast cancer research again this year. here is a link to her personal page. if you have the time, and are so inclined, please click on it and take a look around. she has set a modest goal and every little bit helps. if you are able to donate anything at all, it would be very much appreciated. if that's not an option, feel free to pass the link along if you can. if nothing else, please take a moment and think about your mom, your sister, your wife - all of the women that are important in your life - and let them know you appreciate them.

this is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts, obviously. as more advances are made, more moms and more kids get to have more halloweens, and that is but one good reason to take part. i sincerely appreciate anything you guys do to help haylee or other friends of your own who may be participating and to raise awareness. thanks for reading.